The effect of manganese treatment on pathogenic fungi isolated from barley kernels

Teprosyn Mn manganese seed treatment, manufactured by a British firm Phosyn Chemicals Ltd., which was tested in the experiment, has been available on the Polish market for several years. Applied as a seed treatment it results in more intensive development of root system and improves general plant condition. However, in the available literature lacks information on Teprosyn Mn effect on plant healthiness or pathogenic organisms. The aim of the paper was to compare the effect of Teprosyn Mn fertilizer and Raxil Gel 206 chemical seed treatment on pathogenic fungi species: Fusarium culmorum (W.G. Smith) Sacc., Fusarium poae (Peck) Wollen., Fusarium avenaceum (Fr.) Sacc., Bipolaris sorokiniana (Sacc. in Sorok.) Shoem. and Botrytis cinerea Pers. In laboratory conditions the dynamics of growth and sporulation of the above mentioned fungi were assessed on PDA medium with a supplement of 0.1; 0.5 and 1.0 mm cm of Teprosyn Mn and 0.005; 0.05 and 0.5 mm cm of Raxil Gel 206. In vitro Teprosyn Mn manganese fertilizer reveals weak and diversified effect on linear growth of the studied phytopathogens. In the highest concentration (1.0 mm cm) it reduces the growth of Fusarium avenaceum, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium poae colonies on the level of 7.3–10.1 %, whereas all its concentrations inhibit the sporulation process in B. cinerea i F. avenaceum from 35.3 % to 66 %. Along with increasing concentration in the medium its stimulating effect on linear growth of Bipolaris sorokiniana raises (5.7–18.3 %) and the spore number increases from 40 to 271.5 %.